Battles in the Civil War

  • Battle of Fort Sumter

    This battle took place at Fort Sumter. The Confederates wanted to take out all of the Union forts around its coast and it saw one of them, Fort Sumter. They besieged it and completely obliterated it to smithereens. After just 1 day of brutal cannon firing, the Union had to surrender and evacuate its troops from the fort. This marked the beginning of the Civil War.
  • First Battle of Bull Run

    This battle took place in Virginia and was the first major battle since the start of the Civil War. The Union thought that the war would end quickly because of their superiority. In order to do that, they wanted to seize the Confederate capital of Richmond. However, their path was blocked by the Confederates so they had to get through them with a battle. This battle was more grueling than what the Union anticipated and they ultimately got driven back all the way to Washington D.C.
  • Battle of Shiloh

    This battle took place near the Mississippi River. The Confederates decided to attack General Grant's army before he got supplied. They had initial success but then Johnston died from a bullet to the knee. He was then replaced by another general who thought the Confederates had already won but was about to be surprised. The Union forces with new supplies now attacked and were able to make the Confederates retreat after just one day. This was the battle that allowed the Union a foothold.
  • Battle of Antietam

    This battle took place in Northern Maryland and was the single bloodiest day in the entire Civil War. General Lee wanted to threaten Washington D.C. so he decided to bring his army to the North. Fortunately for the North, his plans were found so they were able to defeat him. Still, more than 20,000 men were ultimately slaughtered just from that day alone!
  • Battle of Fredericksburg

    This battle took place in Fredericksburg. The Union wanted to build a bridge but the Confederates kept shooting them down. As a result, they hunted these men and were able to take Fredericksburg. They tried to keep advancing on the Confederates but with no coordination or speed, they were unsuccessful and had to retreat. The whole battle took about 5 days.
  • Battle of Chancellorsville

    This battle took place near the town of Chancellorsville. At first, the Union attacked the Confederates but then Hooker decided to retreat back to Chancellorsville because of his timidness. After the Confederates attack them and were successful, Jackson gets wounded by his own men. Hooker keeps retreating and retreating and finally when he had a meeting with the corps commanders after 7 days of the grueling battle, they wanted to keep fighting but he decided to retreat completely.
  • Battle of Vicksburg

    This battle took place in the town of Vicksburg which kept the Union from controlling the entire Mississippi River. General Grant moved his troops strategically in order to besiege the city. After about more than a month of this brutal siege, on July 4, 1863, the Confederates in the city surrendered and that marks a turning point for the Civil War.
  • Battle of Gettysburg

    This battle took place in the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. After some victories in Virginia, Lee decided to give his home state a break and went to the North. General Meade met him in Gettysburg for one of the most famous battles in history. The Confederates tried but were unsuccessful to break the Union lines. This battle lasted 3 days until on the fourth day, Lee went on the retreat back to Virginia.
  • Battle of Atlanta

    This battle took place in the city of Atlanta. This was the bloodiest battle during all of Sherman's March. Sherman attacked and besieged the city for the entire month of August. Finally, on September 1, the Confederates surrendered with 5,500 casualties while the Union had 3,700 casualties.
  • Battle of Appomattox Courthouse

    This battle took place near Appomattox Courthouse. The Confederates were retreating and wanted to get new supplies. However, General Grant's army was chasing them and got to the supplies first. They completely destroyed them and were able to surround Lee's forces. Lee knew that he had no more options so he decided to surrender his army to the Union in a civilian's house. This was one of many surrenders that would mark the end of the Civil War.